Hamtaro: Dreaming of Love
by ToothlessJoe
Summary: The Ham-Hams learn that there will be a dance, which is exciting news for all. But when Hamtaro realises he has feelings for Bijou, will he be able to ask her in time?
1. Intro

Quick Note: This is really my first bit of fan fiction. Saw the first 52 episodes of Hamtaro when they were aired in the UK, and I've watched/read synopsis' of the rest from the internet. I like the series, it's one of these shows I keep coming back to now and again, and this time I've had this story going round in my head for a while. Finally got it planned out, and thought I might as well get it written while there is still a good interest in the series (it's a shame they won't continue the anime or dub the films). The worst loose end it left was, in my opinion, the Hamtaro/Bijou/Boss triangle thing. I fall most firmly into the Hamtaro and Bijou camp (Boss must be old enough to be her dad or something), and this is just my version of the good old "Hamtaro and Bijou finally get it together" storyline. Hope you enjoy.

The story is actually a rather long one, and I didn't feel comfortable releasing anything until I'd written the whole thing. This in the end turned out to be a VERY good idea, as I went back and made the first few chapters tie in far better with the later ones. So I do in fact have the entire story written, but I think that'd be too easy. I still want the chapters to have some sort of break in between them. So I'll be uploading 2 a day. There's 20 chapters total, but some are short. I'll usually upload one chapter early in the day, and another at the end, although 1 and 2 have gone up together, helps to get the story moving a bit. So, please R+R, I'll be interested to see what people think.


	2. Chapter 1: Early One Morning

Hamtaro dashed across the field, glancing around himself, searching. He paused, and stood up on his back legs, trying to see over strands of grass. The sky was perfectly clear, with nothing but a gentle breeze disturbing the field of flowers he was stood in.

"Hamtaro!" A voice drifted to him on the wind, and he smiled and gazed in the direction it came from. Bijou's head poked out from between strands of the long grass. A shy smile on her face, the wind wrapped itself around her, catching her blue ribbons in the breeze. "Hamtaro," she giggled, "Why have you stopped? Come on." She motioned him to follow her with a wave of her paw, but, Hamtaro stood as if rooted to the spot, staring straight at her. "Hamtaro?" She said, quizzically. "Hamtaro?"

……

"Hamtaro!" He pushed open his eyes sleepily, and stuck his head out his bedding hut. As always, Laura's room was a total mess. The bed remained unmade, and piles of paper and clothing had been strewn around, as if Laura had been looking for something.

"She really needs to find her alarm clock," Thought Hamtaro to himself. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, he expected it to be close to 9 o'clock. Instead, the time read 7.30. "What?" Thought Hamtaro. "Laura's NEVER up this early, what is going on?" Laura had dashed out of the room, returning with a bag of sunflower seeds, which she quickly emptied into his bowl.

"There you go little fella," She said, before looking hastily round the room as if she'd lost something. "Mum, have you seen my pencil case?" She shouted.

"Have you looked on your desk?" The voice of Laura's mum in the kitchen drifted up the stairs.

"Of course I have!" Exclaimed Laura. "I'm not stupid!" She glanced round, only to see her case sat on top of a pile of paper on her desk. "Err, never mind, found it."

"Laura seems even more flustered than usual," Thought Hamtaro to himself. "I Wonder what the matter is?" He glanced over at his nearly empty water bottle attached to one end of the cage. After a quick yawn and a stretch, he got up and walked over to it, giving it a little tap with his paw.

"Oh, one second Hamtaro, let me refill that!" Laura grabbed the bottle and rushed down stairs, nearly colliding with her father on the way down. "Oops, sorry Dad!" She called as she shot past him, nearly knocking a mug of tea out his hand.

"What has gotten into that girl this morning?" Muttered her father as he entered the bathroom.

"Exactly what I want to know…" thought Hamtaro.

"There you go," said Laura, suddenly back in the room and attaching the bottle to the cage. "Sorry I've been a bit crazy this morning, Hamtaro, but I need to get to school early. They told us yesterday that there's a school Dance on Sunday, and I'm hoping Travis is going to ask me to go with him." The doorbell downstairs rang. "Oh gosh, that'll be Kana, Cya tonight, Hamtaro!" Laura dashed out the room and slammed the door. A second later she opened it again. " Oops, forgot my bag," Laura giggled nervously. "Wish me luck!" and with that, she was gone.

Hamtaro sat down and had a bite of a few sunflower seeds, but didn't feel too hungry. He sighed, his mind still on his dream from the morning. He'd been dreaming a lot about Bijou lately. Before, he'd often dreamed of the Ham-hams, which of course included Bijou, but more recently his dreams had just been him and Bijou. He'd often had Laura discussing dreams of Travis with him, and he'd often wondered if Travis had dreams about Laura.

"If he likes her as much as she likes him, I guess he must do." Pondered Hamtaro. "The question is, does Bijou like me as much as I like her?" He continued, ending with a long sigh.


	3. Chapter 2: News of Importance

Hamtaro slipped out his cage in the usual fashion and slid down the drain pipe. Bouncing off of Brandy's head, deep in thought, he wandered in the direction of the clubhouse. He did not even stop to admire how clear the sky was, or remark on what a nice day it promised to be. He reached the clubhouses' bright door, and perked up a bit. The thought of being able to spend the day with friends, most importantly, Bijou, cheered him up. Opening the door, he wandered in.

"Hamha, guys!" he exclaimed, but got no response. The group were gathered round Stan, who seemed like he was about to deliver some important speech. He was stood on the table, a large roll of paper in one hand.

"Heya, Hamtaro," Oxnard said, as he wandered up to his side. "Stan's apparently got some big news for us."

"Ooh, exciting." Replied Hamtaro. Stan appeared to be waiting for the general hubbub to die down, and waited for silence before beginning.

"Right, so I was down the Ham Swap this morning, to see if they'd had anything interesting come in over the weekend, and it turns out," Stan paused, unrolling the paper in his hand, pausing for a moment before holding it up for all to see. It was a large poster showing a ham-boy and ham-girl dancing. "There's a big Ham-Ball on this weekend in the town, on Sunday!" Proclaimed Stan.

"Ooh, Kana's going to a School Dance that day!" Exclaimed Oxnard.

"I haven't finished yet!" Said Stan irritably, looking over at Oxnard, who looked down sheepishly. "I think we should all go along. Says there'll be live music as well. Jingle's set to perform, and so is Sparkle." There was a slight twinkle in Stan's eye as he said this. The clubhouse broke into a flurry of conversation. The girls broke off into a little group and began talking excitedly among themselves. Howdy and Dexter had started an argument over who was taking Pashmina, who was just within earshot and had begun to blush.

"Aw, would have liked to take Pepper along," Oxnard said to Hamtaro quietly. "Sometimes long-distance relationships can be so hard, don't you think, Hamtaro?"

"Mhmm." Mumbled Hamtaro, not really paying attention, and staring at Bijou as she chatted away. After a few more minutes of excited conversation, Cappy piped up.

"How about we sort out all this Ball stuff tomorrow?" He said, clearly not as interested in going dancing as the other Hams. "It's probably going to rain tomorrow, we might as well make good use of the afternoon, while it's sunny." This idea met with general approval, and off the Hams set to spend some time in the park.

"I'm going to ask Bijou to the Ball then," Thought Hamtaro, as he followed Oxnard out of the clubhouse. "At least then I really will know if she likes me." He smiled to himself. "Ooh, hope Boss doesn't get too mad…" Hamtaro added, as an afterthought, and as he left the clubhouse, his brow wrinkled into a slightly worried frown for a few seconds. Boss, meanwhile, leaning against the far wall of the clubhouse, smiled.

"I'll ask Bijou to the Ball. Ah, it'll the most romantic evening of her life." Thought Boss happily to himself, before following the rest of the Hams out to enjoy the sunshine. Somewhere in the corner of the now empty clubhouse, a loud snore indicated Snoozer was curled up somewhere fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 3: So Close Yet So Far

As the sun hung low in the sky, the Ham-hams began to break up and make their own ways home. Talk of the Ball had been considered off-limits for the day, and the hams had enjoyed a nice day in the sunshine.

"See you tomorrow, Bijou," Called Boss as he disappeared down his tunnels for the night.

"Goodbye, Girls," Called Bijou as Sandy and Pashmina headed home as well. Dexter and Howdy were both attempting to walk home, but the fact that they had started ignoring each other was causing a problem (As they were next door neighbours, after all). Both were trying to avoid eye contact with one another, and somehow ended up tripping over and ending up in a heap further along the path. A young ham-boy walking past laughed at them. As the crowd began to disperse, Hamtaro wandered over to Bijou, who was admiring a small daisy growing in the grass.

"So, um, Bijou?" Hamtaro started slightly nervously.

"Oui, Hamtaro?" Replied Bijou, looking up from the flower, and sounding almost startled that Hamtaro was talking to her.

"I was just wondering, you know, since we both live in kind of the same direction, if you wanted to walk together?" This wasn't completely true, but Hamtaro had decided now had to be the time, he'd ask her.

"Oui, of course, Hamtaro." Replied Bijou, smiling.

"I'll catch you later, Hamtaro!" Shouted Oxnard. "Kana'll be home soon, and I don't want her to find me missing!" He raced off along the path, leaving Hamtaro and Bijou alone in the park.

"Bye, Oxi!" Called Hamtaro after him. He was feeling a little nervous.

"Well, shall we go?" inquired Bijou?

"Sure." Hamtaro agreed. The pair walked along in silence for a while, admiring the lovely day. When they looked at each other, there was little embarrassed smile from the pair, before they returned to looking around.. "Shame the weather's going to be raining tomorrow…" Said Hamtaro, in an effort to make conversation.

"Yes, it will be sad. We all had such a nice time today in the park." Said Bijou. A slight breeze blew over the park, rustling the grass. A few clouds had begun to appear in the sky, Hamtaro glanced around nervously, as the pair walked in silence again. Before long, the pair began to approach the large tree which server as Bijou's method of getting in and out of Maria's bedroom. "Well, here is my house," remarked Bijou, in a wistful voice, the now stronger wind tugging at her ribbons.

"Wait, uh, Bijou?" Hamtaro tried to pluck up his courage. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Hamtaro," Replied Bijou, looking straight at him, her eyes wide in anticipation.

"Well, um…" Hamtaro paused, trying to go on. "Would, you know, mind if…If I walked you to the clubhouse tomorrow?" finished Hamtaro, lamely.

"Oh, Ok." Answered Bijou, looking slightly crestfallen. "I will see you tomorrow then, Hamtaro." And with a smile, she scampered up the tree and leapt onto the windowsill of Maria's bedroom, before disappearing from view.

"Yeah, cya." Said Hamtaro, quietly to himself. He sighed. "So close!" He added, sadly.

"So you asked her yet?" Said a voice. Hamtaro jumped round, alarmed.

"Oxnard!" He said exasperatedly. "Don't scare me like that! Anyway, aren't you supposed to be home by now?"

"Nah, Laura and Kana are helping plan this school dance, so they're staying late this week. Didn't Laura tell you?"

"Don't think she mentioned it." Said Hamtaro. "Although I wasn't paying much attention. So why did you rush off then?" He asked quizzically.

"To give you two some alone time of course." Replied Oxnard. "You did ask her to the Ball, right?"

"Why would I do that?" Asked Hamtaro, slightly angrily.

"Well come on, it's obvious you like her," Stated Oxnard. Hamtaro began to blush. "See, you're blushing!"

"No I'm not!" Replied Hamtaro, angrily again.

"Hey, calm down! I'm just saying you should ask her. I think it's clear she likes you too. Of course she'll accept the offer!"

"Look, if I want to ask her, I will, I don't need to be told what to do!" Shouted Hamtaro. He paused for a second, "Sorry, Oxnard, I didn't mean to shout. Look, I'll see you tomorrow." Hamtaro turned round, and began to walk off. He sniffed, his eyes welling up as he fought back tears. "I can't ask her, Oxi. I can't risk our friendship." And with that, Hamtaro dashed off home, clearly upset. Oxnard stared after him, shaking his head, as the first few raindrops began to fall from the clouded sky.


	5. Chapter 4: Knocking Some Sense In

"Ah, finally caught up then, Hamtaro!" said Bijou happily, reaching out to him with her dainty paw. The wind once again rustled the grass all around the pair, and caught a dandelion clock, scattering it's seeds into the air. Hamtaro reached out, taking hold of Bijou's extended paw. Suddenly, the wind picked up, whisking the pair upwards into the air. Caught together in the gust of wind, neither seemed worried or scared, each simply stared into the others eyes. A single cloud floated through the sky towards them. On it was sat Jingle, guitar in hand. As he approached, he raised his left paw, and opened his mouth, ready to sing.

"GOOD MORNING…."

……

"GOOD MORNING! It's 7 O'clock, and already yesterday's wonderful weather seems a lifetime away. Suggest you grab that coat and brolly, because it's going to be one wet day! In other News…" Hamtaro groaned and sat up. Sticking his head out the cage, he saw Laura slowly climb out of bed.

"Ow, I'd forgotten how loud that thing is…" She yawned. Hamtaro heard her sleepily plod down the stairs.

"I thought she'd lost that thing," thought Hamtaro, rubbing his eyes. "All these early mornings can't be good," he added, picking at the pile of seeds still left from yesterday. When Laura returned a few minutes later, he felt much more awake. Laura, however, still looked ready to fall asleep again at any moment.

"Sorry Hamtaro, guess I woke you up again." She said. "Oh, it's just I need to get in early again. I think Travis was trying to ask me to the Dance yesterday, but the bell rang just at the wrong time, and I hardly saw him at all for the rest of the day." She sighed. "I do hope he asks me, Hamtaro…" Her voice trailed off, and she got dressed in silence. Hamtaro sat down again and grabbed a few more seeds. "Bye Hamtaro," Laura managed as she was leaving half an hour later. "See you this evening."

"I wonder why she just doesn't ask him herself?" Pondered Hamtaro. "Perhaps she's worried about what the answer will be." He sighed deeply. "But then that could be exactly the reason he's not asking either…"

……

A short while later, he slid his way down the drainpipe, his small blue umbrella tucked under his paw. He'd picked it up last winter from one of the boutiques in town, and found himself wondering if the choice of blue had been a rather subconscious feeling towards Bijou, as the colour matched her ribbons perfectly. Landing outside on the soggy grass, he stuck up his umbrella.

"Cya later, Brandy." He waved to the dog, who was cowering as far towards the back of his kennel as was possible. He set off in the direction of Bijou's house, having not forgotten his promise to meet Bijou there. He wandered past an empty bench at a bus stop, the weather keeping any potential passengers at home in the dry. He'd almost got past it when a voice from underneath it made him turn round.

"And where are you off to then, Hamtaro?" Swinging round, he came face to face with Sandy, who was sheltering under the bench to keep out of the rain.

"You scared me, Sandy!" He started. "People seem to keep doing that to me! Anyway, what are you doing under there? Your house is nowhere near here." He stepped underneath the bench as well, putting down his umbrella and shaking off a few of the raindrops that covered it.

"I'm here because someone obviously needs to, like, knock some sense into you or something." She began. "Look, Bijou is going to be heartbroken if you don't ask her to go with you to the Ball. You have to take her." Sandy was almost pleading.

"How did you know I'd even been thinking about it?" Asked Hamtaro, accusingly. "Did Oxnard come talk to you?"

"Uh, no. It's totally obvious you were thinking about it. You spent most of yesterday in some kind of daze; You hardly took your eyes off Bijou all day. You so want to ask her, why don't you?"

"Well, it's complicated…" Hamtaro began, in an attempt to find a real reason.

"No, it's not." Replied Sandy firmly. "You like her, she likes you. She spent nearly as much time talking about you yesterday, as you did looking at her!" She continued. "There's like, no way she'll say no. Trust me."

"I don't know…" Hamtaro looked at down at his feet, blushing.

"Oh, look. At least think about what I said, OK? Just remember she's not going to wait forever. If you really have feelings for her, you'll be the first one to ask her." Sandy turned away, peering out from under the bench into the lashing rain. "I'll see you at the clubhouse later." She finished, and then dashed off into the storm. Hamtaro sat down, exhausted, unsure of what to do. Rain still bounced off the bench above his head. Finally, reaching a decision, he stood up. Opening out his umbrella again, he marched out from under the bench, heading for Bijou's house.


	6. Chapter 5: Question and Answer

Hamtaro looked up at the tree that led to Bijou's window. Pausing for a second, he looked almost uncertain, but only for a brief moment. He leaned his umbrella up against the tree, it's branches providing some cover from the pouring rain. Scrambling up the tree, he then climbed along the long branch to Bijou's window. He tapped on the glass. Bijou swung her head round from her mirror, where she was busy combing her hair. She held up a single finger, indicating she'd be ready in a minute. She picked out two of her blue ribbons and tied up her two ponytails, then brushed each one. When she was finally happy with her fur, which she confirmed with a final glance in the mirror, she slipped out of her cage and nudged open the window, stepping out onto the windowsill opposite Hamtaro.

"Bonjour, Hamtaro." Said Bijou with a smile. "Cappy wasn't lying about the weather being bad today, was he?"

"Definitely not!" Hamtaro smiled back. "Shall we get going, I've got an umbrella down at the bottom of the tree."

"Oui, I think we're certainly going to need it!" The pair dashed down the tree, and Hamtaro opened the umbrella, both Hamsters squeezing underneath it's protection. "It is a good thing you remembered this, Hamtaro, or we'd be soaked!"

"Well I'm no Maxwell, but even I can tell when I need an umbrella!" They both laughed, before Hamtaro continued. "Like the colour? It matches your ribbons, Bijou!"

"Oui, so it does!" Bijou blushed, as the pair entered the park and began to walk towards the clubhouse tunnel. Hamtaro glanced around.

"Now looks as good a time as any," Hamtaro thought to himself, noticing even the wind was catching Bijou's ribbons just like in his dream. He stopped and turned towards Bijou, who turned to him.

"Why have you stopped, Hamtaro?" She asked quizzically. Hamtaro took a deep breath. "Guess it's now or never." He thought.

"Bijou, I want to ask you something." She looked at him, with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"Oui, Hamtaro, what is it?"

"Bijou, I want to ask you if you'll come with me to the Ball on Sunday," Hamtaro said quickly, hardly pausing for breath. He stood there, looking slightly shocked. Bijou stared at him for what seemed like forever, before blushing.

"Oui, Hamtaro, of course I'll go with you." She replied, blushing further. Hamtaro attempted to reply.

"Muh?" Hamtaro's eyes appeared to glaze over for a second. He shook himself. "Sorry, what?"

"I said I would very much like to come with you, Hamtaro," Bijou said, still blushing slightly, but also trying not to laugh at Hamtaro's odd reaction. Suddenly realisation lit his face.

"You said yes?" He asked, as if to triple check.

"Yes, silly," Bijou giggled.

"Yes!" He shouted. "She said yes!" Completely forgetting the rain, Hamtaro ran off into the field, shouting and laughing at he top of his lungs. Also completely forgetting that he was holding the umbrella, he let go. The wind took this opportunity to whip it up into the air, blowing it high out of reach.

"Hamtaro, you silly hamster," Called Bijou, "You've lost the umbrella, we will be soaked!" She laughed, as Hamtaro ran back over.

"So? Race you down to the clubhouse then," He cried, as he shot off.

"Hey," she called after him, "You get back here," And she took off after him. Together they dashed across the field and down into the dryness of the tunnels, where they collapsed in each others arms in fits of laughter. Water rolled off them, forming a puddle on the floor of the hewn tunnel. Once both of them had managed to stop laughing, Hamtaro stood up, offering his paw down to help Bijou stand up. They stood, looking into each others eyes, until Oxnard wandered along.

"So, you asked her then?" He smiled, as the pair looked round guiltily.

"Yeah." Said Hamtaro, smiling sheepishly.

"Come on," said Bijou, "We really should be getting along to the clubhouse." Oxnard shook himself in an attempt to dry himself off a little, and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone will be pleased for you two." His smile faded slightly. "Well, maybe not Boss…" He turned away, headed for the clubhouse.

"I'm sure Boss will be fine," Said Bijou, though she didn't appear convinced. "Come on, let's go together." The pair began to follow Oxnard to the clubhouse.

"Oh no," Thought Hamtaro. "I was so worried about even asking Bijou, I didn't think about afterwards. Asking was the easy part. It's dealing with Boss that's going to be tough…" Bijou looked up into his worried face, clearly reading his thoughts.

"Do not worry, Hamtaro, we will just have to find the right time to tell him. He will have to be the first to know, it might make things easier." Oxnard stopped up ahead and turned round.

"Well I for one won't say anything." He said

"Thanks, Oxi." Said Hamtaro, managing a smile.

"Don't worry about it," replied Oxnard. "There is NO way I'd be the one to give Boss that kind of news," he added as he turned back towards the clubhouse door. The slight smile on Hamtaro's face faded.


	7. Chapter 6: Breaking a Heart

The pair stood at the Clubhouse door, hesitating. Oxnard had wandered in, but Hamtaro and Bijou were unsure of what to do.

"I think this might be better coming from me alone, Hamtaro." Said Bijou thoughtfully. "It won't be too difficult to get a quiet word with him, and he's less likely to get angry if it comes from me."

"Yeah, I think so too." Replied Hamtaro, looking slightly relived. He forced on a smile. He knew Boss would not take any of this well, but he also knew that he wasn't likely to get angry at Bijou. The pair took a deep breath, and entered the clubhouse.

"Bonjour!" Said Bijou to the assembled hams.

"Hamha, guys!" Added Hamtaro. A chorus of greetings from the others came back to them.

"I'll talk to you later, Hamtaro," Whispered Bijou, "I'll try and get in a quiet word with Boss." She turned away and wandered over to where Sandy, Pashmina, and Penelope. Bijou sat down with them, and joined in whatever conversation they were having. Oxnard walked up alongside Hamtaro.

"So she's going to tell him soon, is she?" He inquired, quietly.

"Yeah." Replied Hamtaro, "Where is Boss anyway?"

"He's out back somewhere, said he was looking for some stuff." Answered Cappy. "No idea what though. Anyway, come on. Let's go sit down." The pair wandered off towards the crowd of gathered Ham-boys, sitting down on a couple of empty chair among the group. Conversation was, of course, focussed on the dance. Panda had signed up to help with the preparation for it, and currently had a lamp from the hall he was trying to fix.

"It actually looks like there's a bit missing," Said Panda in a slightly aggravated tone. At that point, Boss entered the room. He was smiling, a triumphant look on his face.

"Hey, Boss." Said Maxwell, looking up at him over a book. "Find what you were looking for?"

"Indeed I did!" He laughed. "But you won't see it until the Ball. Bit of a secret." He paused, noticing Bijou was slowly moving off from the group of ham-girls. He walked towards her, his movement becoming slightly stiff. He caught up with her, and the pair stood opposite each other in the middle of the clubhouse.

"Bijou," Boss began, "Can I have a quick word?" He asked, shaking slightly.

"Oui, Boss." Replied Bijou. "I also need to have a quick word." Boss turned around and walked over to a quiet corner of the clubhouse, smiling slightly. Bijou glanced over her shoulder at Hamtaro, who smiled at her. She smiled back, before sighing slightly and following Boss.

"She wants to talk to me!" Boss thought to himself. "Maybe she was planning to ask me to the Ball herself! But I have to be the one to ask, it's the manly thing to do." His confidence boosted, he turned round and waited for Bijou to catch up. When she did so, he opened his mouth to speak, and the conversation in the clubhouse became rather quieter, as each of the Hams tried to hear what was being said.

"Bijou," Boss began, "I have something I…" Bijou cut in.

"Please, Boss, don't." She said, looking at him. "I know what you're going to ask, but it's the reason I need to talk to you." Boss looked puzzled, not quite understanding what Bijou was talking about. She continued. "Boss, I cannot come with you to the Ball." The conversation in the clubhouse suddenly stopped, the tension rising. The sound of breaking glass suggested Panda had just dropped some rather important part of the lamp he was fixing. Bijou chose not to notice, instead ploughing on. "I already have a date for the Ball. Hamtaro asked me this morning. I'm so sorry, Boss." She looked away, unable to look at Boss anymore as his eyes began to water. "I thought you should know first." She added, realising it probably wouldn't make it any easier for him at all.

"Oh." He managed. "Oh. We…Well, never mind, then." He turned away, his back to the group. Shoulders shaking slightly, he made his way over to the back door. "Things to do…" He muttered, almost to himself. "Busy, busy…" And then he swung open the door and ran through it, slamming it behind himself. There was the sound of a key turning in the lock. Bijou shook, tears coming to her eyes. Hamtaro ran over to her, hugging her close.

"Oh dear," She sobbed, "He took that worse than I was expecting…" Hamtaro hugged her closer. He was equally worried. He'd expected Boss to be angry, to shout, or maybe even laugh if he thought she was joking. He most certainly had not expected Boss to totally break down. He was suddenly very aware of the total silence that had descended on the clubhouse. The others were stood watching in stunned silence. Hamtaro looked back to Bijou, as she sniffed.

"I'm sorry, Hamtaro, I shouldn't cry…" she wiped her eyes with her paw.

"Don't worry about it, Bijou." He took a deep breath. "Maybe we should get out of here, Boss probably won't want us around today." Bijou nodded silently. At this precise moment, Stan wandered in.

"Yah, sorry I'm late, guys. Noel was worried about the rain messing his hair up, or something. Still, it's clearing up a bit now. Bit of luck and we'll see the sun this afternoon." He stopped, suddenly aware that something was obviously wrong. "Look, just what have I missed exactly?" He asked.

……

A couple of hours later, and the Hams were sat back in the park again. The sun hadn't yet managed to burst through the clouds as Stan had predicted, but the raid had at least stopped - In the end they'd all felt too uncomfortable staying at the clubhouse with Boss in the back room. Hamtaro and Bijou had gone off for a walk; after received a flurry of 'congratulations' from the group.

"Well at least they finally got together." Said Sandy, trying to break the silence and make some conversation. Stan looked over.

"Maybe you could just say once more, I don't think we all quite got that," He retorted.

"Oh, come on, Stan, why not at least, like, try to be pleased for them?"

"Because thanks to them we're sat out on the damp grass instead of inside."

"Oh, Boss can't stay mad forever, can he?" Asked Dexter.

"Well, course he can, ya stupid Hamster!" Replied Howdy, taking the opportunity to get in a cheap vibe at Dexter.

"Now that was uncalled far, you annoying rodent!" Once again the pair broke out into a fight. Pashmina tried to ignore them, and attempted to stop herself from blushing. She turned her back on the pair and joined in the conversation.

"So you guys really don't think Boss will come round to this? Surely he'll just have to accept that Hamtaro and Bijou are in love?" Oxnard looked over at her.

"You think so? I think that hit Boss really hard. I'd expected him to be really mad, maybe even lash out. It just looked like his world collapsed in on him." There was another silence.

"Never managed to fix that lamp, either." Muttered Panda, still holding his screwdriver, and lightly tossing it between each hand. There was a pause, then Sandy started giggling.

"What are you laughing at?" Asked Pashmina, slowly finding herself fighting back laughter herself.

"I don't know!" Said Sandy, through tears of laughter. It wasn't long before the entire group were rolling around on the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Even Dexter and Howdy were finding it difficult to have an argument whilst laughing. Hamtaro and Bijou came walking up, hand in hand, smiling.

"See, you two are looking happier!" managed Oxnard.

"What's so funny?" Asked Hamtaro, starting to laugh himself.

"We don't know!" Answered Maxwell, rolling around.

"You are all so silly," said Bijou, laughing as well. A ray of sunlight pierced the cloud line, as Hamtaro and Bijou burst out laughing along with their friends.


	8. Chapter 7: Dreams Become Nightmares

In the end, the Hams afternoon was enjoyable. The others convinced Hamtaro and Bijou not to worry about Boss; He'd have to come around eventually. Sandy and Pashmina had taken Bijou for a lengthy talk, most likely on the subject of boys and boyfriends. Hamtaro had received a fair amount of advice from the boys too. Most of this came from Stan, but Hamtaro didn't really think listening to his advice would be too much of a good idea. He couldn't understand how treating Bijou badly would "keep her keen," as Stan had mentioned, and on top of that he really wasn't sure what she was supposed to be keen about. Oxnard pointed out that he might as well just be himself, since it had obviously worked for him so far.

Sandy spent some of the time blushing herself. Maxwell asked her if she would honour him by allowing him to escort her to the Ball, which she willingly accepted. Pashmina found herself in a rather more difficult position - having both Dexter AND Howdy try to ask her to the Ball, at the same time. Before she could even answer, they broke out into yet another argument. Stan managed to throw another spanner in the works, suggesting a contest to see who wins the honour of taking Pashmina to the Ball, which both agreed to. Stan took position of overseeing the contest, with the nature of the event to be decided the following day.

As the day began to draw to a close, clouds began rolling in again, obscuring the sunlight again. This didn't seem to bother the hams, though, who were once again smiling after the mornings' events. Oxnard had headed home already, saying something about Kana coming home early with some news. Hamtaro didn't totally believe him, but he was grateful for some more time with Bijou. The pair walked along as the sky began to darken, laughing and joking, before reaching Bijou's house. Eventually, after long goodbye, and a promise from Hamtaro to meet Bijou again the following morning, she went inside, and Hamtaro headed home. He was on top of the world, and felt as if nothing from this moment on could possibly go wrong. He wandered on in the slowly gathering dark, and finally turned into his garden. Brandy was fast asleep in his kennel, and the garden was peaceful. Hamtaro smiled, and made his way towards the drainpipe that led back to his cage.

"Hello, Hamtaro." A voice in the darkness made him look round.

"Hello? Who's that?" A dark shape loomed out from under the bushes. "Boss, is that you?" He asked, voice shaking slightly. "Come on, this isn't funny." Boss stepped out from the shadows.

"Funny? I'll tell you what's not funny. Stealing someone else's girl isn't funny." He said in a level tone of voice. "You knew I liked her, Hamtaro. I trusted you with that secret, I came to you for help. I loved her ever since the first day I saw her, and now you move in, and steal her, right from under my nose."

"Boss, look," Hamtaro began, slightly scared of how Boss was behaving. "She was never your girl. You never actually asked her to go out with you. I loved her too, you know, from the first time I saw her at her window. Maybe I didn't know it at the time, but I did love her. I still do." Hamtaro continued, hoping his message was getting through. "I love her, and she loves me. You'll have to just accept it, Boss, I'm sorry."

"SORRY?" Boss suddenly erupted with rage. "You're sorry? I'm the one who's sorry. Sorry I ever met you. Sorry I ever trusted you as a friend. Sorry I didn't see this coming. You betrayed my trust, Hamtaro. How could you?"

"Look, Boss, this is just the way things turned out. I'm sorry…"

"You keep telling me you're sorry, but I just don't believe you, Hamtaro. How can I believe anything you say. I think it's time I MADE you sorry." Boss leapt at Hamtaro, catching him off guard. His large right paw swung round, and he hit Hamtaro right in the eye. Hamtaro fell backwards, clutching at his eye.

"Ow," he cried, "Ow. Boss, stop." He yelled, as Boss stood up to ready another swing. The noise woke Brandy, who stuck his head out of his Kennel and barked. Boss panicked, and ran a short distance back towards the bushes and the lengthening shadows. He glanced round, and Hamtaro saw in his face a mixture of fear and anger, two conflicting emotions. He appeared confused, staring at Hamtaro lying clutching his eye. Brandy barked again. As if awoken from his trance, Boss shot off, under the bushes. Brandy continued barking, and Hamtaro stood up.

"Brandy, knock it off," He began, but then noticed Laura turning into the street. Brandy was clearly trying to warn him. "Thanks, Brandy." He said, forcing a smile, before shooting up the drainpipe and climbing into his cage. He barely had time to get into his nest, before Laura came into the room, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh, Hamtaro, he asked me!" She cried, happily. "Travis asked me to the Dance! And I was starting to worry he wasn't going to get round to it…" She stopped, suddenly noticing Hamtaro's odd behaviour. "Hamtaro, is something wrong?" She asked in a concerned voice. "Come on out of that nest box, what is wrong?" Hamtaro slowly stuck out his head out of the box. Laura gasped.

"Hamtaro! How did you do that? Mum, Dad, come here, I think Hamtaro's hurt himself!"


	9. Chapter 8: Odd Behaviour

"Good night, Hamtaro, and don't worry, I'm sure you'll be ok." Laura said as she switched off the light. Laura's mum had phoned the vet, and booked in an appointment for the following afternoon, right after Laura finished school. Hamtaro lay there in the darkness, shaking. Eventually, his eyes drooped and he drifted into an uneasy sleep. Again he dreamed of fields, and of Bijou, but this time dark clouds rolled over the sky, and instead he became lost in dark tunnels, Boss's voice echoing down the passages.

"Traitor."

"Betrayed me."

"MAKE you sorry." Hamtaro found himself attacked from all sides by shadowy figures, and his eye stung again and again. He woke with a start, the pain being unbearable, and lay in the darkness, shivering, too afraid to go back to sleep.

……

A new day dawned. Although not raining, the clouds that had rolled in overnight still hung in the sky, and the air was slightly damp, as if threatening that there could be more rain at any minute. However, by mid-morning it had still remained dry, as Bijou made her way to the clubhouse. The hams had agreed the day before that they should go see Boss first at the clubhouse, in the hope he had calmed down, And both Bijou and Hamtaro agreed. It would at least give them another opportunity to apologise to Boss. She reached the Clubhouse door, and pushed it open, worried as to what might be going on inside. However, the clubhouse was buzzing with activity as usual.

"Bonjour." She said, looking around the clubhouse. She frowned. "Is Hamtaro not here?" She asked.

"I thought he'd be with you, actually." Said Oxnard. "Hope he's OK."

"I'm sure he's fine." Said Boss from somewhere over the back. "Morning, Bijou." He added.

"Morning, Boss." Replied Bijou, slightly taken aback that he was even talking to her.

"He's been a bit weird all morning." Whispered Sandy, as she and Maxwell came over. "He keeps acting as if yesterday didn't happen, and he's like being far too cheerful." Maxwell glanced over at Boss, who was attempting to tell Snoozer some sort of joke.

"Not to sound too suspicious of him," started Maxwell, "But I think he's trying to hide something. He's acting way too oddly this morning, considering all that happened yesterday." Bijou looked over at him, concerned. He finished off whatever he had been telling Snoozer, and was almost forcing himself to laugh.

"Hmm, and Hamtaro as well," Pondered Bijou. "I do not think he would have forgotten about meeting me back at home."

"Maybe he just woke up late or something," commented Panda behind them, who was still working on the stage lamp.

"Maybe." Said Bijou, though she didn't sound convinced. "Maybe I should go round, see if he is at his home."

"That sounds like a good idea." Agreed Maxwell.

"No!" Cried Boss from the other end of the room, causing all eyes to turn to him. "I mean, you said yourself he's not likely to be just late." He stammered. Drawing himself up, he continued in a more authoritative voice. "And what if he's ill or something? You don't want to catch something." Bijou's eyes widened in horror.

"Ill? Oh my, I had not thought of that? What if it's serious? That is it, I am going to see him." And she dashed out the clubhouse door. Boss made to go after her.

"Oh no you don't," Sandy stood in his way. "She can go find him if she wants."

"I just don't think it's a good idea, that's all." Retorted Boss, once again trying to push past her.

"Look, just leave them to it, Boss. What's up with you this morning anyway, you've been behaving very oddly?" She asked, in a slightly accusing tone.

"Nothing, nothing." He muttered in reply. "I just didn't sleep well, that's all." He said, staring at the Clubhouse door with a grim look on his face. Oxnard frowned slightly. He wasn't sure why, but he had a horrible feeling whatever Boss was keeping from them was not going to be a nice surprise. He glanced over at Sandy. The look on her face told him he wasn't the only one who was thinking along those lines.


	10. Chapter 9: Truth of the Matter

Bijou hurried along the pavement, turning the corner into Hamtaro's road. She slipped up the drainpipe and up onto the Windowsill. Peering in to the dimly lit room, she could just see Hamtaro sat in the middle of his cage, his back to the window

"Hamtaro!" She called, knocking on the window.

"Go away…" Came the reply from inside. Bijou was shocked, and she felt a tear roll down here cheek.

"Hamtaro, why would you say such a thing?" She sniffed, fighting back another tear.

"I just don't want to come out today, Bijou."

"Well you will at least come out here and talk to me, or I will have to come in there." She said firmly. There was a long pause. Hamtaro's shoulders drooped in the darkness.

"I'm coming." He said. There was the sound of the cage door sliding upwards, and then scrabbling inside the wall. Hamtaro appeared round the corner of the roof, looking down at his feet. Tears fell from his eyes, and bijou noticed a patch of fur on his arm that was stained a dark red colour. "Just go back to the clubhouse, Bijou." He whispered.

"Hamtaro, what happened to you!" Bijou cried, looking at him with concern. He did not answer her. "Hamtaro, what are you hiding? Look at me!" She continued, tears now falling down her face. Hamtaro looked up, and Bijou saw his right eye, blackened and bruised, with dried blood matted into the fur. She looked horrified. "How?" She asked, and Hamtaro's face fell again, looking down at the ledge the pair stood on. Realisation dawned on Bijou's face, and, slightly horrified, she tried to confirm her fears. "Boss did this, didn't he?" She whispered, hoarsely. Hamtaro looked up at her, and simply nodded. Then he collapsed on the windowsill, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Bijou ran over, and hugged him, crying herself.

……

Bijou licked a small area of her ribbon not yet stained, and carefully rubbed away more of the matted blood around Hamtaro's eye.

"Ow," he winced, as she wiped a particularly sore area.

"Sorry, Hamtaro, but it needs to be cleaned off." She put down her ribbon and looked at him. "I think that is most of it." She smiled, her eyes bloodshot from crying too much. Hamtaro managed a smile as well.

"Thanks." He said. "But that was one of your best ribbons, Bijou."

"I can get more ribbons," she said, "But I can't get another you, Hamtaro." He laughed, and wiped his eyes with his paw.

"Thanks for coming over Bijou. You helped so much." She smiled at him.

"I know you would do the same for me, Hamtaro."

"Yes, Bijou. I would." Movement at the end of the street made him jump. "Oh, it's Laura. We'll be off to the vets' place!" Exclaimed Hamtaro.

"Then you'd best get back inside." Said Bijou. "Good luck." She added. Hamtaro dashed over to the hole in the roof, then looked back and smiled.

"Thanks." He said, before darting inside. Bijou watched as a concerned Laura brought down Hamtaro's cage to the car. Hamtaro was stood, looking out at her. She waved.

"Please be all right." She said to herself, as the car drove off towards town.


	11. Chapter 10: Hurt Inside

Oxnard looked up from the table over at Boss, who'd entered a very moody state since Bijou left. A stark contrast to his over-enthusiastic happiness earlier in the day.

"Oxnard, you let it slip again," sighed an exasperated Panda, bending down to pick up a screw that rolled under the table. "Look, I really appreciate you offering to help with this, but to be honest you can probably help best by, well, not helping." Panda looked over at him, but Oxnard obviously hadn't heard. Panda coughed.

"Wha?" Oxnard looked round. "Oh look, sorry Panda, I'm really not being much use, am I?" He asked. "Do you mind if I leave you to it?"

"Not at all," replied a relieved Panda. Oxnard stood up and wandered over to the corner, where Sandy, Maxwell, and Pashmina were sat.

"I really don't think I can stand any more of this stupid contest." Pashmina was saying as he approached. "They're both behaving like children." Pashmina glanced over at Penelope, who was happily sat playing with a pile of blocks. "In fact, WORSE than kids." She sighed. "And Stan isn't helping. He shouldn't encourage them. Last I heard, he was trying to organise a gladiator battle to the death. Do you think you could have a word, Sandy?" Pashmina pleaded.

"I'll have a go," she replied, "But I'm, like, not making any promises. Stan will totally do what he wants, when he wants. But I'll try."

"Thank you." Pashmina smiled. Oxnard wandered over and sat down.

"What's the matter, Oxnard?" Asked Maxwell. "Panda didn't need help after all?"

"Not really," replied Oxnard. He turned to the three. "I wonder if Bijou found Hamtaro…" He started. Sandy looked at him.

"I'm sure something weird is going on." She said. "First Boss acting all weird this morning, and now Hamtaro not showing up? It's like, far too much of a coincidence." Oxnard frowned. So he'd been along the right lines earlier with his thinking.

"You don't think maybe Boss has done something to Hamtaro, do you?" He asked quietly, his face solemn. Maxwell looked taken aback.

"You don't think Boss would seriously do that, do you?" He asked, shocked.

"Well, maybe not." Conceded Oxnard, but the faces of the others suggested they'd been thinking it too. Oxnard was worried. The four hams sat in silence for a little while, until Penelope wandered over with an armful of blocks.

"You come to cheer us up then, Penelope?" Asked Pashmina, forcing a smile. Penelope sat down and began to stack them up one by one. At that point, the clubhouse door burst open, and Bijou came storming in. Oxnard opened his mouth to speak, but the look in Bijou's eyes told him most of what he needed to know. Boss looked round at her, almost petrified.

"You!" Bijou seethed with anger. "You disgusting monster, how could you have done that!" Boss stared back in stunned silence, caught off guard by Bijou's anger.

"What's happened, Bijou?" Asked Sandy, concerned.

"Boss attacked Hamtaro." she replied, her eyes beginning to cry again. She threw down her bloodstained ribbon onto the table, for all to see.. There was a collective gasp from the others in the clubhouse. "He's had to go see the vet! He could be seriously hurt! No wonder you didn't want me going looking for him this morning!" She wiped away the tears that were forming with her paw, before continuing. "Are you not you even going to say anything?" She shouted.

"Ok!" Boss yelled back. "Ok, I hit him, but he deserved it. He hurt me on the inside, so I had to hurt him on the outside. It's fair! I'm sure the little traitor will be fine anyway, more's the pity." Bijou narrowed here eyes.

"Hurt you inside? How could Hamtaro do that, you have obviously not got anything there. You're a heartless Monster, Boss. We gave you a second chance today, and you have blown it. I for one will not spend any more time in the company of such a foul hamster." She spun round, grabbing her ribbon up off the table, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. There was a stunned silence, broken only by the sound of Panda hastily packing away the lamp and his tools, correctly predicting what was coming next.

"Well?" Shouted Boss, just as he finished shoving the final parts into his pack. "What are all of you still doing here? Get out, before I come after each and every one of you!" The others, still shocked, filed out without a word. Cappy was last out, and he glanced back at Boss with a worried look. "Get out of here!" Boss shouted at him, and he walked out sadly, closing the door. For a moment the group stood their, stunned. Then Boss wrenched the door open. "And take this with you!" He yelled, holding up Snoozer by the neck of his sock and dropping him into the dirt. He slammed the door, and there was the sound of bolts sliding into place.

"Now he is in one heck of a sour mood!" Said Howdy. He bent down. "Someone wanna give me a hand with this lump?" He asked, pointing at Snoozer. "I'll take him on back over to my place for now, there's enough room there for him, sure enough." Stan bent down and grabbed Snoozer's legs, and the group filed out the tunnel just as the light was fading. Oxnard glanced across the park, just able to see a white hamster in the distance, running off, a stained ribbon in one of her paws.


	12. Chapter 11: Good News

"…And no more falling over, Hamtaro." Laura said, bent down peering into his cage, smiling. "You take it easy, ok? See you tonight, Hamtaro!" She called as she dashed out the door and ran off to school. Hamtaro stretched and stood up. His eye wasn't hurting nearly as much, and with the blood cleaned off it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. The vet had checked him over, and said he'd be fine. He'd assumed Hamtaro must have fallen over in his cage and bashed it. Hamtaro smiled.

"No way the Vet would believe the truth even if I could tell him." Thought Hamtaro. There was a knocking on his window. Glancing up, he expected to see Bijou, but instead Oxnard was outside, a huge grin on his face. Hamtaro dashed out of his cage and outside.

"Morning Oxi!" He said.

"Hiya, Hamtaro." Oxnard replied. He looked at Hamtaro's eye. "That doesn't look so bad!" He commented.

"Nah, Bijou did a great job cleaning it up!" He smiled again. "The vet said I'd be fine too, so Laura's not too worried or anything." He looked upwards, to see a fine blue sky with not a cloud in sight. "Guess I'm not going near the clubhouse today." He said slightly sadly. "But hey, at least it's a nice day." He smiled again.

"I don't think any of us are too welcome at the Clubhouse at the moment, Hamtaro." He looked over at Oxnard, puzzled.

"Bijou came back after she's seen you, she was really mad at Boss. Little tip, Hamtaro, don't ever get on her bad side." Oxnard smiled "Joke. But anyway, Boss went nuts and kicked up all out. But I'm glad anyway. Don't know if I could stand being in the company of such a bully."

"Now that's not fair," started Hamtaro. "Yeah, he shouldn't have hit me, but I can understand that he's hurt."

"But it still doesn't justify what he did." Replied Oxnard firmly. "Anyway, why are we discussing such a serious topic on such a nice day?" He asked. "We should be out having fun!" He jumped up in the air a little, punching upwards with his fist. Hamtaro laughed.

"What's got into you this morning, then?" Asked Hamtaro. "You seem incredibly happy."

"Why not? The sun is shining, birds are singing…" Hamtaro stared at him. "Oh, alright, well, I got some good news…" He paused. "Look, I'll tell you later." He pointed down. Bijou was stood in the garden, waving at the pair, a basket in one hand.

"Bonjour, Hamtaro!" She called up. "Are you coming down at all today, you two?"

"Come on, Oxnard, lets go" Hamtaro and Oxnard ran along the roof and down the drainpipe, landing in the garden. Bijou ran over to Hamtaro and hugged him.

"Are you okay, Hamtaro?" she asked, concerned. "What did the vet say? Does it still hurt?" He just laughed.

"I'm fine." He replied, and Bijou smiled. "The Vet said it'll be good as new in a couple of days, and it's feeling much better already." Bijou laughed.

"Well, good. I will have you know I have been worried sick all night." she said. Hamtaro looked at her, trying to figure out what was different about Bijou. Then he noticed.

"Nice ribbons, Bijou." He said, pointing at the two pink bows tied to each ponytail. She smiled.

"Thank you, Hamtaro. Maria took my blue ones off to wash. It got rather messy yesterday." Bijou patted the basket under her arm. "It is a nice day," she said, "So I have arranged a picnic over by the lake. All the others are coming. You will come, won't you, Hamtaro?" She looked at him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" He smiled. "But first, what's this good news of yours, Oxnard?" He asked.

"Ooh, you have something to tell us, Oxnard?" Bijou added, all ears.

"Well," he began, "I was going to wait till we met the other, but I guess I could tell you two first. Dylan's coming in to town to help out with the school dance on Sunday, so He's bringing Pepper!" His smile became even wider. "That means I'll be able to take her to the Ball after all!"

"Hey, great news, Oxi. Congratulations." Hamtaro smiled at him.

"Yes, I am so pleased for you two." Added Bijou. "It will be nice to see her again, too." Hamtaro grinned, cheekily.

"Of course, this is assuming she says yes." He joked. Oxnard's face was suddenly full of panic.

"Oh, no! What if she doesn't want to go with me?" He cried. Bijou giggled.

"Oxnard, do not listen to Hamtaro," she said. "He is joking." Oxnard looked visibly relived. "Oh you are terrible sometimes, Hamtaro" she said, smiling.

"Hehe, sorry, Oxi, couldn't resist."

"No problem, Hamtaro." Oxnard replied. "Just never do that again." The trio laughed. When they'd finally calmed down, Bijou spoke up.

"Come on, let us go meet the others, shall we? We are already late." The three set off towards the lake, and Hamtaro looked happier than he had for days. To him, it finally looked like it would turn out to be a good day.


	13. Chapter 12: Contenders Ready

Hamtaro, Bijou, and Oxnard walked along by the lakeside in the mid morning sunlight. Hamtaro and Bijou walked along hand in hand, smiling and chatting to each other. Oxnard had a glazed look in his eyes and a smile on his face, still overjoyed that Pepper was to be in town the following day. All three were in fact so wrapped up in their own little worlds, that Oxnard managed to trip over Snoozer, who'd been placed underneath a tree to keep him out of the sun. As always, he was fast asleep.

"Watch yerself there, ham!" called out Howdy, as Oxnard picked himself up, and the three sat down. Bijou sat her basket on the large blanket that had been spread on the ground. There was an impressive amount off food, and Hamtaro noticed Oxnard eyeing it up hungrily. Howdy looked back at Snoozer and continued. "I tell ya, if there was a contest for loudest snore, he'd win it hands down. Heck, I bet he'd beat an elephant! There I was thinking' that maybe he got a bit livelier at night, you know, one o' them nacho-turner thingies…" There was a few giggles from the other hams.

"You mean nocturnal." Maxwell corrected him.

"Yea, that's the one. But no, he don't get livelier, he just goes an' get LOUDER at night." Howdy rubbed his eyes, clearly suffering from lack of sleep. "Tonight, we're sticking him round Dexter's place." Dexter, who'd clearly been enjoying seeing Howdy rather annoyed, jumped up.

"I'll have you know there's no room for him over at my house. And furthermore, you know full well your place is closer. It's less distance someone needs to carry him," He nodded his head in a way that indicated he felt he'd won. "You'll just have to put up with it until Boss calms down."

"I will not! We live next door, ya crazy Ham!" Retorted Howdy. "And heck, waiting for Boss to cool down's like waiting for a train! Always takes far too long, and you're never even sure if it's comin' at all! 'Sides, not my fault you don't have the strength to get him over to your place."

"Hmph, one of us was blessed with brains rather than brute strength."

"Oh yea, shame you don't make use of them much then, ain't it?" And, once again, the pair launched into a full blown argument.

"Oh dear." Said Pashmina. "Not again." She watched as Howdy made a 'Four-Eyes' joke. Hamtaro leaned towards her.

"So do you know what you're going to do yet?" He asked. "They'll keep this up until you ask one of them out to the Ball. I mean, they've fought before, but this is getting out of hand." Dexter's 'cheapskate' insult had clearly not gone down well, and Howdy was now chasing him round a tree, waving a stick over his head like some sort of club. Sandy shook her head.

"Part of this is my brother's fault too." She said. "I'm really sorry, Pashmina, I tried to talk to him, but he totally ignored me. By the sounds of it he's got something planned too." She looked around. "Guess that's why he's not here yet." She added.

"Well at this rate neither of them is going with me to the dance." Said Pashmina angrily. Bijou's face lit up a moment later.

"I think I have had an idea, Pashmina." She said, and leaned forward, whispering something in Pashmina's ear. "What do you think?" She asked.

"I think that's a great idea, Bijou!" She said, happily. Hamtaro smiled.

"She's full of good ideas!" He said. Bijou's cheeks turned a slight shade of crimson, and she smiled shyly. Pashmina started to stand up, but suddenly Stan shot through on his skateboard.

"Sorry I'm a little late, guys." He said. "Had to get a few things set up." He reached out and grabbed Howdy as he ran round the tree. Dexter skidded to a halt and turned round. "So how about it, you two ready for this contest then?"

"Stan…" Began Sandy. He ignored her.

"Heh, you'll never get Mr. Brains over there to take part in a contest!" Laughed Howdy, pointing at Dexter. "He'd be scared o losin' to me. But heck, if we wants to prove I'm the better Ham, then let's go!"

"Oh that is it!" Shouted Dexter. "I'm going to beat you here and now, Howdy. What have you got in mind, Stan?" He asked.

"Excuse me…" Pashmina tried to get in a word, but Stan cut her off.

"I've got a challenge to test both of you right over here!" He said.

"Well I can beat that sissy any day o' the week!" Chuckled Howdy. Stan grinned evilly.

"Ah, but you don't know what I've got planned yet." He asked. Howdy looked unsure.

"Well, I guess not…" He began.

"Hah!" Laughed Dexter, "Trying to chicken out before we've even started. How pathetic." Howdy's faced changed to one of determination.

"That's it, I will not be insulted by the likes of you!" He shouted. "Let's get on with it!" Pashmina looked more annoyed.

"You'll both do no such thing!" she shouted. "I've had enough of this, so I've reached a decision." Both Howdy and Dexter stopped fighting and looked at her. She continued. "I won't take either of you to the Ball." She finished, firmly. Both hams fell over, bitterly disappointed. "However," She added, "I will let each of you have one dance with me." She smiled at Bijou. "Thanks." she whispered to her.

"No problem." Bijou whispered back. Now Sandy stood up, and turned to her brother.

"And I don't know what you were thinking." She scolded. "Next time, don't encourage fighting." Stan looked guilty.

"Sorry," he said, "I was just trying to have some fun." There was a few seconds of awkward silence. Then a voice piped up.

"If you've all finished, can we start eating?" Asked Oxnard. "I'm starving." And with that he sat himself down ad reached for a pile of Sunflower seeds.

"Hey, save some for the rest of us!" Laughed Hamtaro, and the group sat down to enjoy the food, the rather strange events of the morning put out of their minds.


	14. Chapter 13: Stan's Big Impression

An hour later, the hams were full to bursting. Even Oxnard had stopped shovelling food into his mouth.

"Now that was good picnic." he said, stretching slightly and shifting into a more comfortable position. "If only we ate like this every day…" He continued, a far-away look in his eye. Hamtaro looked over and laughed.

"If you ate like that all the time you'd be fat!" The group all laughed, and Oxnard joined in.

"Fat or not," he said, "It would still be really tasty." He laughed some more. "Anyway, at least it's a perfect afternoon for dozing under a tree, I'm too stuffed to move." He added, patting his stomach.

"Well the rest of us can do something at least." Stan said. "Let's play football or something."

"Football?" Asked Sandy. "After all that lot? You'll be sick!"

"Fine." Replied Stan. "I'm going to do a bit of skateboarding." He grabbed his board and threw it down, leaping on it as it moved off.

"What is with him?" Sandy shook her head. "Is it the time of year for everyone to go totally mad, or something?" Pashmina watched as Stan shot round the park on his board, leaping over cracks in the path.

"I guess boys will be boys." She said. Bijou laughed.

"Oui, they can be very silly at times, right Hamtaro?" Hamtaro wasn't listening though. He pointed to the far side of the lake.

"Isn't that Sparkle over there?" He asked. Bijou looked out to where he was pointing.

"I think you are right, Hamtaro." She replied. Sandy's face broke into a grin.

"That explains it!" She told them. "He's obviously trying to impress her!" Sandy laughed. "Oh dear, he mush have a crush on her."

"That might explain why he was so interested in the Ball in the first place." Added Panda. "It didn't sound much like his sort of thing, but if he's after one of the lead singers, it makes more sense."

"He hasn't got a hope in the world though." Pointed out Maxwell. "She certainly doesn't seem impressed so far." Sparkle was adjusting her ponytails, completely ignoring Stan's show-off antics on his board. She stood up and began to walk along the path, towards the group. "She seems to be heading this way." He added. Stan had obviously noticed this too, and had turned around, catching up to her on his board. As he got closer, he slowed down, until he was alongside Sparkle. Although still out of earshot, the hams could see him trying desperately to strike up a conversation, although it appeared to be rather one sided. As the pair got closer, the hams were able to pick out Stan's voice.

"So anyway," he was saying, "I hear you're playing at the Ball on Sunday. Just so happens I'm gonna be there too. Maybe we should…" He never finished the sentence, as at that moment he went over a deep crack in the pavement. One of the wheels of his board got stuck, catapulting him upwards. Stan yelled out, before landing in the water with a splash. He managed to drag himself to shore, coughing and spluttering.

"Your friend seems to have gone for a swim." Said Sparkle smugly, as she walked past the hams. Sandy dashed over to help her brother.

"You stupid ham." She said sternly, once he'd stopped spitting up water. She helped him over to the group, and draped a corner of the picnic blanket over him. "What was all that about?"

"I was just trying to, you know, be nice." He said, trying to shrug the whole incident off.

"Well, it was incredibly smooth, whatever it was." Said Dexter sarcastically. "If only we were all so cool with the female of the species."

"Heh," Laughed Howdy. "You said it. No way any of us'd leave that sort of lasting impression on a young lass." the others laughed. Pashmina smiled at him.

"Looks like she might be a bit out of your league." She said to Stan. "Oh, and try not to get the blanket too wet," she added. "It's mine." The others laughed again, and even Stan joined in.

"Thanks guys." He said, shivering.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Replied Hamtaro, and the group laughed again.


	15. Chapter 14: Ruined Chances

And, once again, time ticked on and the day began to draw to a close. The hams were busy packing up what was left of the food, and preparing to go home. Stan was wringing out the corner of the blanket that he'd used to dry himself off with.

"That'll be okay, thanks." Said Pashmina behind him. He jumped up, startled.

"Ah!" He yelped. "You scared me." He smiled, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "I think I got most of the water out. Though you might need to hang it out to dry or something." He helped her roll it up, and handed it over. "And thanks again." He added. He leaned towards her, and dropped his voice slightly. "Did I really make THAT big a fool of myself?" He asked.

"Well," Pashmina started. "It could have been worse." She giggled. "But it was pretty funny." She laughed harder.

"Oh thanks." Said a slightly disheartened Stan. The other hams were all standing up, preparing to leave. Oxnard and Hamtaro were chatting away, when a worried look came over Oxnard's face.

"Uh-oh. It's Boss." He said, pointing along the path. Hamtaro stopped and looked round.

"What does he want now?" He asked.

"Well that depends on what kinda mood he's in now, don't it?" Said Howdy. "Could be, he's here to apologise. Course, he could be here to do yer other eye in too!"

"Really not cool, Howdy." Said Sandy. "That's not helping." Bijou took hold of Hamtaro's hand.

"Let us just see what he wants." Said Bijou firmly. Boss seemed to have noticed that the Hams appeared to be waiting for him, and he quickened him pace slightly. He reached the group, and Hamtaro could see he looked tired.

"Er, hi guys." He said. There was an awkward silence.

"Hi, Boss." Replied Cappy, glancing round the group anxiously. Hamtaro turned to Bijou and nodded. Letting go of her hand, he stepped forward.

"Hi Boss. Bad night's sleep?" He asked.

"Something like that." Muttered Boss. "Look. I'm here, well, to apologise." The group all looked slightly relieved.

"Well, ok, Boss. I'll accept your apology." Answered Hamtaro, holding out his paw to shake Boss's hand. Boss instead looked down at it.

"Apologise to you? I meant to the others for kicking them out of the clubhouse yesterday." He looked over at Bijou, then back to Hamtaro. "Why would I owe you an apology?"

"What?" Cried Hamtaro. "How about saying sorry for attacking me!"

"Oh, you deserved it. Bijou is mine Hamtaro, not yours."

"You can't own her, Boss! She's a person, not some object. She doesn't love you, Boss."

"She could have done if you hadn't moved in around here!"

"Well maybe if you'd actually managed to ask her ages ago we wouldn't be here!"

"I was waiting for the right moment!"

"You were too scared to do it yourself. You even tried to get me to help you!"

"Oh, I've had just about enough of you, Hamtaro!"

"Oh yeah? Well…"

"Stop it, both of you!" Cried out Bijou, tears in her eyes. "Stop it. I'm tired of all this fighting. Just…" She sniffed. "Oh, you're both as bad as each other!" She shouted, and pushed past them, dashing off down the path.

"Bijou!" Cried out Hamtaro. Sandy and Pashmina came forward.

"We'll go after her." Said Sandy.

"Right. Come along Penelope." Added Pashmina.

"I'm coming too." Said Hamtaro. Pashmina put up her paw.

"No, Hamtaro. She needs time to cool off. We'll look after her." And with that the three ham-girls dashed off after Bijou. Hamtaro looked around.

"Oh…" He began. Then, suddenly, he dashed off along the path, in the opposite direction to Bijou. Oxnard watched him.

"Wow, he didn't look good." He commented. "I'd best go after him." He looked up at Boss for a second, then ran off after Hamtaro. The other hams looked at Boss, who hung his head sheepishly.

"I only wanted to apologise." He said, eventually.

"Well you're apologising to the wrong people, Boss." Maxwell said.

"He's right, Boss." Added Stan. "You see, we understand you're angry, but it can't be helped Boss. Hamtaro's got the girl. They're in love." Boss looked down at his feet again. "You've got a choice, Boss," he continued, "You can either give her up, and make up with the pair of them, or," he paused. "Or, you can cling to a stupid fantasy and end up a lonely Ham."

"It's not that easy…" Began Boss.

"Well, maybe not, but you'll have to try, Boss. You're strong. It's time to move on." Said Maxwell.

"I think I'm going to need to sleep on this…"

"Well, alright, Boss, but don't leave it too long. The longer this goes on the more damage it'll do."

"Maybe you're right, Dexter, but…"

"Oh, heck Boss," piped in Howdy. "Sleep on it, and I hope ya come to the right decision." He pointed over to Snoozer under the tree. "And would ya mind taking him back to the clubhouse? I don't know how ya could ever put up with that snoring." Boss laughed a little.

"You get used to it," he said.

……

Oxnard ran along the path.

"Hamtaro, wait!" He called. He began to catch up as Hamtaro stopped by a tree, panting. "You shouldn't run off like that, Hamtaro," said Oxnard. "Hamtaro, are you alright?" Hamtaro turned round, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Oxi, it's all my fault. I never should have asked Bijou out in the first place." He wiped the tears out of his eyes. "And now I've blown it with Bijou totally, I know I have."

"Oh come on," said Oxnard, trying to be positive. "She'll forgive you…"

"No she won't," cried Hamtaro. "Oh, if only Boss could just be happy for us. Even if Bijou does forgive me, it'll only end up going wrong again somewhere…" Hamtaro broke down again in tears. Oxnard looked at his friend, sadly.

"Well just when I thought things were getting back to normal…" He said to himself…

……

Boss opened the clubhouse door, carrying Snoozer on his back. Closing the door with his free paw, he walked over to a corner and gently lowered Snoozer down.

"…That's better." He muttered in his sleep, before snoring again. Boss walked around in silence, and got ready for bed. Sitting down on his bed, he opened his desk drawer. Inside was a small picture of Bijou he'd clipped out of one of the issues of the Ham-Ham Times, in a little picture frame. He placed it down by his bedside lamp, and switched it off. Laying in the dark, eyes wide open, Boss sighed, deep in thought.


	16. Chapter 15: Oxnard's Question

Oxnard paced his cage nervously. He'd not slept too well, the excitement of Pepper's visit both exciting him and making him nervous.

"Oh, are they running late? They were supposed to be here two minutes ago. What if they get stuck in traffic? Or get lost? Or decide not to come? Maybe they…" There was the sound of a car horn outside. Oxnard relaxed. "Or maybe they're here." He sighed with relief. Kana came down the stairs and opened the front door.

"Dylan!" She said, hugging him. "It's great to see you again! It was nice of you to offer to help at the Dance this weekend.

"Don't mention it." he replied. "I was going to be in town anyway, and it sounds like it might be fun." Kana laughed.

"And you bought Pepper, too!" She added, smiling at the small hamster on Dylan's shoulder. "Hi!" She turned back to Dylan. "You can put Pepper's cage over next to Oxnard's. Come on, Mum and Dad are taking us out for lunch with Laura's family." Dylan walked over and sat the cage down in the corner of the room.

"Now you be good." he said to Pepper, as Kana's parents came downstairs. After greeting the pair, the four of them left the house.

"See you later, Oxnard!" Called out Kana as she closed the front door. Pepper nudged open the door of her cage, and Oxnard did the same.

"Finally!" She said. "I thought they'd never leave!" She ran over to Oxnard and hugged him.

"Oh, I've missed you!" He cried.

"Me too, Oxi." She held him a little longer, then smiled at him. "So, what's the plan for today then?" She asked. "Are we going down to the clubhouse?" Oxnard's smile faded, and she looked at him. "What's wrong?" She asked, worried.

"It's kind of a long story…" He began. "Look, I'll tell you in a minute. I need to ask you something first."

"Okay, Oxi, what it is?" Pepper asked. Oxnard began to blush slightly.

"Well, there's this Ball on Sunday…"

"Yeah, I know. Dylan's helping. It's why we're here, silly." she replied.

"No, another one. There's a Ham-Ball in town, and, well… I was kinda wondering…" His voice began to trail off, but Pepper smiled at him.

"Of course I'll go with you, Oxi!" She cried in delight. "I'm surprised you were so worried about asking." She added, smiling.

"Yeah, well, Hamtaro and Bijou were kind of joking about it yesterday…" Pepper looked over at him, noting the tone of his voice.

"Hmm, this is all to do with your complicated story, isn't it? Did they get together or something?" She asked. He nodded "Wow, that's great." She looked at Oxnard. "There more to this, isn't there?"

"Oh, a lot more." He sat down. "Mind if I grab some seeds first?" He asked. "This could take a while to explain…"

……

"Bye, Hamtaro!" Called out Laura as she closed the door.

"Finally!" Thought Hamtaro. "I thought they'd never leave! I have to get round and see Bijou!" Jumping up, he opened his cage door and slid down the pipe, arriving on Brandy's head just in time to see Laura's family car drive off down the road behind Kana's. He briefly considered going over to see Oxnard, but thought against it. "He'll definitely want some time alone with Pepper," he said to himself. "And anyway, I need to see Bijou…"

After a short dash through the streets, Hamtaro arrived at Bijou's house. Looking up the tree to Bijou's window, he was reminded of when he was stood here, in the rain, preparing to do what he'd thought was the hardest thing ever.

"It's hard to believe that was only a few days ago." He sighed. "So much has happened, and now I need to sort it all out today. Tomorrow is the dance." He looked up at Bijou's window, and his face set into a look of determination. "I can't give up now." He said, and climbed up the tree. Bijou's window was slightly open. He could hear the sound of piano music drifting from the ground floor of the house. He poked his head round the window frame, to see Pashmina, Penelope, and Sandy sat with Bijou. He coughed.

"Er, hi." He said awkwardly. "Could I have a word with you, Bijou?" He asked, looking at the group. "Privately?" He added. Sandy and Pashmina looked at her.

"Oui, it is ok, girls." She said. Hamtaro jumped down into the room and walked towards Bijou's cage.

"We'll wait outside, Bijou." Said Pashmina. As the pair walked past Hamtaro, Sandy mouthed 'Good Luck' at him, which made him feel a little better. He walked over and sat down opposite Bijou in her cage.

"Hi." He said again.

"Bonjour." Replied Bijou. There was a short silence, and then Hamtaro burst.

"Oh, Bijou, I'm sorry for upsetting you yesterday. I don't know what came over me! Look, please, if there's any way I can make this up to you…" He paused. "I'd do anything for you, Bijou." He added. She stood up.

"Hamtaro," she said, turning away from him. "If you do mean that, there is something you can do." She turned round to face him. "Apologise to Boss. Make peace with him. Not only for me, but for the others too. This feud is pulling the Ham Hams apart. I don't want to lose all my friends, Hamtaro. And I don't want to lose you." She sat down again, close to tears. Hamtaro looked at her, and smiled.

"I'll do it Bijou. I miss Boss myself, and I miss the clubhouse. I'll go see him and sort it out, once and for all." He stood up, and went to leave. "I promise I won't screw up again." He said, and headed back to the window.

"Hamtaro!" Bijou called after him. "Thank you." He smiled at her, then leapt up onto the window sill. Sandy gave him a thumbs up as he climbed down the tree in Bijou's garden, and headed towards the clubhouse.

……

"Wow," Said Pepper, "Sounds like a crazy few days. Do you think Bijou will be alright?" she asked.

"I don't know." Replied Oxnard. Hamtaro was going to go see her as soon as possible, so I guess that means he'll have gone round by now." Pepper stood up.

"Come on then, let's go and see what's happening. It's no good being cooped up in here." She smiled at him. "Race ya!" she giggled as she dashed off.

"Hey, no fair!" Called Oxnard as he ran after her, smiling. "Things might be bad," He thought, "But at least she's here." He raced off after her along the pavement, the two of them headed towards Bijou's house.


	17. Chapter 16: The Great Philosopher

Boss sat in the clubhouse, a mug of tea in his hand. There was silence in the clubhouse, save for the rumbling of Snoozer as he slept. Boss sighed.

"Can I really do this?" He asked himself. "Give up on all my dreams?" Once again silence descended on the clubhouse.

"Hafta try anyway…" Mumbled Snoozer in his sleep. Boss looked over at him.

"How is he able to answer questions in his sleep?" He asked, smiling a bit. "Ah, well, let's go get this sorted out." Boss downed the rest of his tea and stuck the mug over on the side for washing up. He made his way over to the door. "See you later, Snoozer." He called, but got no reply. He shook his head, and stepped out into the tunnel.

Soon he was out the tunnels and walking through the park. He was so wrapped up, he almost walked right into Jingle, who was coming towards him on along the path.

"Woah, Boss man!" He said. "It helps to keep an eye on the road. Keeps you going in the right direction."

"Uh, yeah." Replied Boss. "So, in town for the Ball then?" Asked Boss, trying to make an effort at conversation.

"Indeed I am. With an audience to please, I cannot disappoint!" He paused and reached round for his guitar. "Have a listen, take a load off. You look like you're stressing." Boss Looked over at him.

"Um, nah, sorry. I've got things to do…" He began.

"Well, that's too bad. Rush around too much and you can miss the best bits of life," said Jingle, sagely.

"Don't I know it…" Replied Boss, almost to himself.

"You look too tense, Boss Man. You need to just learn to let go." He passed Boss a small book from his bag.

"Oh, not this thing again," groaned Boss, looking at the cover of '92 Rules of Self-Improvement to Make You a Better Ham.'

"Hey, man. The book just knows." He walked round Boss and headed further off down the path. "Check out Rule 18." He said, turning and wandering off down the path. Boss, not knowing what else to do, opened the book.

"Let's see, rule 18: Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, to ensure a healthy digestive tract." Boss re-read it ,just to check for any hidden meanings. "How on earth does that help?" He yelled.

"Um, might be 28..." Came Jingle's voice from around the corner of the path. Boss flicked through the book again.

"Oh, I can hardly wait for this," he said sarcastically. "Rule 28," he read. "Always go to the Bathroom before bed. You will enjoy a good night's sleep." Boss's eye twitched slightly. "Only a ham as mad as Jingle would take advice from a book which tries to tell you when to go to the toilet" He laughed and flicked through the book at random. "This is all rubbish! Rule 48: You can't change the past. Focus on fixing the future." Boss froze and stared, opening his mouth a few times. "Ok, that's a little weird." He began. "Still, it's only coincidence." He paused. "Only a coincidence…" He said again, forcing himself to believe it.

"Still," He thought to himself, "It's right. I'll never be with Bijou now, but I can still be friends with all the Hams so long as I fix this mess." Smiling slightly, he set off purposefully towards Hamtaro's house. "And I don't need this!" He added, chucking the Rule book onto the grass verge. As Boss ran off, the wind caught the book and blew it open to a page.

"Rule 91: There are 101 uses for a dead cat. Do not waste them."


	18. Chapter 17: Making Amends

Hamtaro entered the park and looked along the path. He spotted Boss coming the other way, and stopped. Boss obviously noticed him as well, as he stopped too.

"This is it, then." Thought Hamtaro, walking towards Boss. The pair soon came face to face, and an awkward silence descended on them. Hamtaro broke the silence.

"Hi, Boss." He said. Boss's reply was slightly strained.

"Hello, Hamtaro."

"Look, Boss, I feel really bad about the other day. I shouldn't have gone off at you like that." Boss looked back at him.

"Hamtaro, you had every right to be mad. I was being a real jerk."

"That still doesn't excuse my actions, Boss. I'm sorry." Hamtaro replied. Boss looked own at his feet for a second, then back to Hamtaro.

"Actually, Hamtaro, I'm the one who needs to be sorry. I've been totally selfish and made a fool of myself these past few days." He paused.

"But you were angry at me, Boss. I understand why." Boss looked back at him.

"Actually, I don't think you do. I didn't, until this morning. I felt that you had ruined everything, that it was your fault Bijou was in love with you. Truth be told, I was angry at myself. You were right yesterday. If I'd been braver, I'd have asked Bijou out long ago, and who knows were we'd be now. But one thing is clear, Hamtaro. She loves you, not me." He sighed. "That's something I'll have to deal with myself, but taking it out on you was not helpful at all. I behaved terribly. Hamtaro, I'm sorry as well, and I'll accept your apology if you'll take mine." Hamtaro grinned at him.

"Deal, Boss!" He said, sticking out his paw. Boss took it, and the pair shook hands warmly.

"I'll tell you one thing, Hamtaro. It's been too weird not having you at the clubhouse these past few days. It'll be nice to start getting back to normal." Hamtaro laughed.

"Well first there's the Ball tomorrow." He pointed out. "There's going to be ham-girls from all over the city there, Boss. There's bound to be some there without dates as well." He added. Boss looked at him.

"Hamtaro, I'm shocked you'd even think such things. I can see I'm going to need to come along." He paused slightly, then continued hurriedly. "Only to protect Bijou of course. Can't have you running off with some other attractive ham-girls, can we?" He glanced round. "You did say some of them would be available, right?" Hamtaro laughed.

……

Oxnard and the Ham-girls walked along the street and into the park. Pepper was chatting away to Pashmina, telling her about how life had been on the farm over the last few months. As they wandered along the path, Bijou looked around.

"I wonder where they are…" she said. "Hamtaro went looking for Boss quite a while back." Oxnard glanced round.

"I can't see anything, what about you, Pepper?" She shook her head. "And he said he was heading straight off to find Boss, right?"

"Oui, he promised me." Said Bijou firmly. Oxnard nodded. From Hamtaro, a promise was a promise.

"Ah, finally made it all the way here then!" Said Boss's voice behind them. Turning round, the Hams saw Hamtaro and Boss sat with the other Hams and another spread of food. Hamtaro smiled.

"Well, there was plenty of leftovers from yesterday," He said. "Seemed a shame to waste it. So we rounded up the others for another picnic." Bijou smiled.

"So you two are friends again?" She asked.

"The best of." Boss answered. Bijou sat down over by Hamtaro, and the others squeezed in around the circle. "Let's tuck in then?" Suggested Boss.

……

Once again, the day drew to a close, and he group began to depart for their own homes, the Ball being forefront in their minds. Boss waved and smiled as the hams set off home. Hamtaro started to walk Bijou back towards her house, but she stopped.

"Oh, one second, Hamtaro." She said. "I need to do something." She dashed back and caught up to Boss as he was about to disappear into the tunnels leading to the Clubhouse. "Boss!" She called. He turned round

"Oh, hello Bijou." He said. Bijou smiled at him.

"Look, Boss. I think you did a very noble thing today." She said.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean." He replied, going slightly red in the cheeks. Bijou looked at him.

"I know you have strong feelings for me, Boss. And although I do not feel the same way about you, I have always seen you as a good person. Being able to let me and Hamtaro be together, well, it certainly proves me right." She hugged him. "Thank you, Boss." She said, before turning round and running to catch up with Hamtaro.

"Thank you, Bijou." He replied, almost to himself. Wiping away a tear, he went down into the tunnels, knowing that, finally, he'd been able to do the right thing and let Bijou go.


	19. Chapter 18: Minor Setback

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" called Laura. Hamtaro opened his eyes and yawned.

"Why does she always wake me up when I'm having nice dreams?" He thought to himself.

"We're going round Kana's today." She told him. "To get ready for the big dance." Laura blushed. "I still can't believe Travis asked me to go with him, though!" She added. Hamtaro looked at her.

"If you think getting your date was tough," he thought, "You should have seen the trouble I had!" Laura finished getting dressed, and grabbed Hamtaro's cage in one hand, taking the bag with her outfit in her other hand.

"Bye, Mum!" She called, as she went out the front door.

……

A short while later, and she was at Kana's house. She'd put Hamtaro's cage over by Pepper and Oxnard.

"So what time are we leaving?" She asked. Kana thought about this.

"Well, I'd say about 5." She answered. "Dylan went down this morning to help finish the set up, and said it'll be about ready by then." She paused for a second. "Isn't Travis coming over to pick you up?" She asked.

"No," replied Laura, blushing. "He's only getting back into town this afternoon. He went to see his Grandmother, so he doesn't have time to come by. It is a bit out of his way, anyway. I said I'd meet him there. Anyway, come on, lets go change!" The pair dashed upstairs to Kana's room. Hamtaro turned to the other two Hams.

"I thought they'd never leave!" He said. "All set for the dance, you two?" He asked.

"Oxnard's ok, but I need to get round Bijou's in a while." Replied Pepper. "She's got an outfit she said she'd let me wear for the evening." She looked over at Oxnard and smiled. "I'd have my own, but I wasn't expecting to be doing much dancing!" Oxnard smiled back.

"You can dance well, then, Pepper?" Asked Hamtaro.

"Of course!" She replied. Oxnard laughed.

"That's good, because I'm hopeless!" Hamtaro grinned back at him.

"Well I'm not much better!" He replied. Pepper looked at the pair of them.

"You can't go to a Ball not knowing how to dance properly!" She exclaimed. Hamtaro looked a little worried.

"That could be a little problem then…" he started.

"Nope!" Replied Pepper. "Cause I'm going to have to teach the pair of you a few basics!" She smiled. "Let's get started, shall we?" She got out her cage and walked into the middle of the room. Hamtaro and Oxnard did likewise, looking at each other slightly nervously. Pepper giggled. "Look, you two, you can either learn now, or you'll look silly at the ball. And I don't want you showing me up, Oxnard!" She smiled. "Ok, let's see if you can follow my moves."

Pepper began to count a little beat as she followed through a fairly complex pattern of steps.

"Ok, now you two try." She said. Hamtaro and Oxnard set off trying to follow Pepper's dancing pattern, but managed to mess things up completely. When the pair finally managed to untangle themselves from each other, Pepper sighed. "Hmm, this could take a little longer than I thought." She said.

……

An hour later, and Hamtaro and Oxnard had managed to pick up the basic moves quite well.

"Well, I think the pair of you should be just about good enough for this dance then." Said Pepper, and Oxnard smiled at her.

"Aw, thanks Pepper." He said, sweetly. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't given us some tips."

"Don't you worry, Oxnard," she replied, "Just follow me and you'll be fine." Hamtaro smiled.

"And I'm sure Bijou's an excellent dancer!" He said. Pepper looked at him.

"Oh, yes!" She exclaimed. "I need to get over to Bijou's and get ready!" She quickly hopped back in her cage and fluffed up her bedding, sticking one of her spare neckerchiefs into it. "There, now if Laura and Kana look in, they'll think I'm asleep." She smiled at Oxnard. "Pick me up from Bijou's house when they've left, ok Oxnard?"

"Ok, Pepper." He replied as she slipped out her cage again and out the window. He sighed wistfully.

"Wow," Said Hamtaro. "You really love her, huh." He said. Oxnard stared up at the window.

"Yeah," He replied, "It's sad that she's not around a lot. You and Bijou should count yourselves lucky, you get to see each other every day." Oxnard smiled at him. "You'll have plenty of time to spend with Bijou. Pepper and I just have to be happy with whatever time we get together." Hamtaro looked at his friend.

"That must be hard." He said.

"It kinda is, yeah." Replied Oxnard. "But that just means every time I see her is more special. That's why tonight has to be perfect!" Hamtaro laughed.

"Then I suggest we start getting ready." He said to Oxnard.

……

Kana and Laura rushed downstairs, each dressed in flowery Kimono's and sandals.

"Hmm," Thought Hamtaro. "That's new. It's nice though." Laura and Kana seemed to be in a hurry.

"We're running a little late, come on, Laura!"

"Ok, I'm ready!" She replied, doing up her sandals. "Let's go! Bye Hamtaro!"

"Bye Oxnard!" Called Kana as she slammed the door.

"Finally." Said Hamtaro, fastening his bow tie. He and Oxnard both wore a dark dinner jacket, which Oxnard seemed a little uncomfortable with.

"Oh, I'm no good in posh clothes." He said. Hamtaro just laughed.

"You don't want to go looking a mess, do you?" Asked Hamtaro. "I bet Pepper makes a real effort for you, hadn't you better do the same?" Oxnard grinned back.

"Yeah, you're right as always, Hamtaro." He glanced up at the clock. "Come on," he said, "they'll be expecting us." Hamtaro and Oxnard climbed out their cages, and hopped out through the open window into the early evening. Hamtaro could feel butterflies in his stomach. He was nervous, but happy. Looking back over the past few days, Hamtaro could see that, in the long run, none of it truly mattered. What was important now was impressing Bijou, and Hamtaro vowed to show her the most wonderful night of her life.


	20. Chapter 19: A Night to Remember

Hamtaro adjusted his bow nervously. He and Oxnard were stood outside Bijou's house, waiting for the two girls to come out.

"Do you think they're almost ready?" He asked.

"I hope so." Replied Oxnard. "They wouldn't of left without us, would they?" Hamtaro looked at him.

"Of course they wouldn't!" He said, but not sounding totally convinced. Just then he saw movement on the windowsill above them. He pointed. "That'll be them now." Oxnard smiled.

"Good. Worrying over nothing, as usual." The two ham girls made their way down the tree carefully to the garden. Hamtaro gasped.

"Bijou, you look beautiful!" He exclaimed. She was wearing two blue silk ribbons in her hair, and had a dark blue gown on, which almost touched the floor. She blushed.

"Thank you, Hamtaro," she replied, shyly. "And I must say you are looking very smart, as well." Hamtaro smiled, and offered her his paw.

"Shall we go?" He asked her, smiling.

"Oui!" Bijou smiled back. The pair began to set off, and Oxnard moved towards Pepper.

"Wow." Was all he could manage. Pepper had picked out a red skirt that matched her neckerchief, and a pink silk blouse, over which she wore her neckerchief. She laughed.

"Come on, Oxi." She laughed. "Let's go dancing, shall we?" She took Oxnard's paw and the pair of them rushed off after Hamtaro and Bijou, who were disappearing down the road ahead.

……

The location chosen for the Ball was a large Oak tree, which had been hollowed out some time previously, and which led to a large underground hall underneath it. The outside of the tree had been decked out in ribbons, and in the glow of the sunset they seemed to sparkle. Bijou's eyes lit up.

"My!" She exclaimed. "It is wonderful!" Hamtaro stared at her.

"Yeah." He said, not taking his eyes off her. "It is." She looked back at him and smiled.

"Come along, Hamtaro. Let's go inside, shall we?" They walked towards the entrance, and spotted Sandy and Maxwell heading inside. "Hello, you two!" Called out Bijou. Sandy turned round.

"Hi Bijou!" She said. "Nice dress." Bijou looked at Sandy's sleeveless red dress and smiled.

"Yours is lovely as well!" She replied, and the two ham-girls launched into a deep conversation. Maxwell walked over to Hamtaro.

"Is your suit as uncomfortable as mine is?" He asked.

"Definitely." Sighed Hamtaro, adjusting his bow tie. "Who'd have thought getting dressed up would be so itchy?" Oxnard and Pepper wandered up behind them.

"Totally agree with you, Hamtaro." Said Oxnard, as Pepper went over to see the other ham girls. "Glad we don't have to do this all the time." He raised his voice. "Hadn't we better be going in? We're in the way a bit, standing in front of the door." Hamtaro glanced round, noticing quite a few couples waiting patiently for them to clear the entrance.

"Yeah, he's right, let's go inside, Bijou." Agreed Hamtaro. The group entered the large arch of the tree and went down the large staircase, into the dancehall. Pashmina was stood near the bottom, in a pink dress, looking frustrated.

"Those two are so annoying." She grumbled to Bijou as they approached.

"You mean Howdy and Dexter?" Asked Bijou. "What have they done now?" Pashmina pointed over at the refreshments table.

"They were fighting - again." She said. "About who would have their dance first." She sighed. "So they challenged each other to a drinking contest, only someone's spiked the punch!" She eyed Elder Ham suspiciously, who was walking past.

"Iced the French, you say?" He muttered, almost to himself. "What strange weather they have!" He continued, as he walked past.

"I just know it was him!" Said Pashmina. "He was over there a long time getting some punch for Auntie Viv." She pointed over to one of the tables around the edge of the dance floor, where Viv sat. She was trying not to laugh while Elder Ham had a conversation with the potted plant he'd just bumped into. Pashmina looked back at Howdy and Dexter, who were leaning against the table and wobbling slightly.

"Thatsh 14 Cups! Hic!" Exclaimed Dexter, proudly.

"Only fuur…furten?" Howdy retorted. "You'se can't handle yer fruit!" He added, before falling forward. Dexter looked triumphant.

"I win!" he shouted, drawing eyes in the room onto him. "I can too handle a…a little punchsh…" He said, before collapsing onto the table and upending the punch bowl on his head. Auntie Viv and Elder Ham, who'd made it back to his seat, collapsed on the floor in laughter.

"What am I going to do now?" moaned Pashmina. "I don't want to sit around watching other people dance all night!"

"I don't mind dancing with you." Said Stan, coming down the stairs. "You know, as a thank you for letting me towel off with your blanket the other day." He glanced at the stage, where Jingle and Sparkle were checking through the equipment. "I'm kind of stuck with no date either, you know?" Pashmina smiled at him.

"Alright then, I'll accept your offer!" She said. "It's got to be better sitting around watching those two make fools of themselves!" She pointed to the refreshments table, where Howdy had managed to stagger to his feet, and had begun to dance around Dexter, shouting "Victory!" at the top of his voice. A Hamster wearing a waiter's outfit was trying to get him to leave. Pashmina turned back to Stan. "In fact, let's go now. I don't want to get mixed up in that!" A bulky dark coloured Hamster had lifted Howdy up by his apron, and let Howdy dangle in the air while he swung his fists and hurled obscenities at the bouncer.

"No arguments here!" Replied Stan, and the pair headed onto the dance floor. Sandy smiled.

"Nice to know my brother can actually be normal once in a while!" She said.

"At least he gave up chasing after Sparkle." Maxwell laughed. "She seems quite taken with Jingle though." He said, pointing at the stage. Jingle was reading out of a little book, and Sparkle was hanging on every word. "I wonder what he's reading?"

"Maybe it's romantic poetry." Said Sandy.

"No, it's actually called '92 Rules of Self-Improvement to Make You a Better Ham." Said Boss, coming up behind them. The others looked at him. "Just trust me, I know." He was wearing a dark Dinner suit, with a rid bow tie around his neck.

"Wow, Boss! Where'd you get the nice suit?" Asked Oxnard.

"I've had this ages." Replied Boss. "Took quite a while to find, but I think it'll be worth it." He smiled. "Now, I would love to stay and chat, but I do believe I can see a few ham-girls who aren't dancing." He wandered off towards the dance floor, humming.

"He seems a lot happier!" Smiled Bijou.

"He does, doesn't he?" Hamtaro agreed. "Anyway, shall we dance, Bijou?" He asked.

"Oui, of course, Hamtaro. I thought you would never ask!" She smiled and took his hand, and the pair walked out onto the Dance Floor.

……

The evening moved on, and more and more hamsters had filled up the hall. Howdy and Dexter had been removed from the Ball, but Pashmina was actually enjoying herself too much to notice. She and Stan came over and sat down around the large table the Hams had taken. Hamtaro and Bijou had stopped for a rest, and Panda had finally managed to get a break from working on the electrics.

"Phew," he said, "I really needed this drink." He took a gulp of the fruit punch, which had been restocked and this time left free of alcohol. "I tell you, that Sparkle really like her special effects." Sparkles main performance had been filled with all sorts of flashy lights and pyrotechnics. "That was a total nightmare to set up."

"I thought her duet with Jingle was very good though." Said Bijou. Pashmina sat down as Stan went to get a couple of drinks.

"Yeah, that was nice." Said Pashmina. "She's a good singer." Pashmina glanced round at Stan. "You know, I almost didn't come tonight." She said. "What with all the nonsense with Howdy and Dexter. But I'm glad I did." She said, her face lighting up with happiness. "Stan's been somewhat normal tonight, instead of his usual show-off self. It's nice." Bijou giggled.

"It has certainly been a nice evening so far." She said. "And Hamtaro's dancing is not that bad, either." She laughed, and Pashmina joined in.

"Yeah, shame about when he fell over though," She said. Hamtaro spoke up.

"Hey, the firework scared me is all!" He protested, sending the two girls into another fit of giggles. He looked over at Panda. "Next time there's a dance, remember to tell me if there's going to be any loud explosions on stage." He said. "I thought it was a bomb or something." Panda laughed at him.

"If there's ever another dance, there's no way I'm helping run it." He chuckled. "There's far too much work involved, and I can never be sure I'll have enough time to get everything finished!" He added, pointing to an unused stage lamp in the corner. "All week it took me to fix that, and they go drop it when they're putting it up." He sighed. At that moment, the lights began to dim and the music slowed down.

"Oh!" Exclaimed Bijou. "The last dance, come along, Hamtaro!" The pair headed out onto the dance floor, followed by Stan and Pashmina. As the pair took up their position, the music slowed further, and the last dance began. Hamtaro had tried a quick glance around, trying to see any of the others, but quickly gave up. As they danced, Hamtaro stared at Bijou, still marvelling at how special she looked.

"Bijou?" He whispered, just audible over the music.

"Oui, Hamtaro?" She whispered back.

"Bijou, I really love you. More than anyone else in the world." She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"I have felt that way since I first saw you singing outside my window." She smiled. "I love you as well, Hamtaro." He felt his heart do a little somersault in his chest, and his eyes gazed at Bijou. As the music washed over the couple, they were oblivious to all that was around them, happy and content just to be together, at last.


	21. Chapter 20: Goodnight

The Ball had finished, with the majority of hams already having left to get home. The Ham-Hams were collecting as a group just off the path, near the two sleeping forms of Howdy and Dexter. Pashmina looked down at the pair.

"What exactly are we going to do with them?" She asked.

"I think we should leave them here, total punishment for their behaviour today." Replied Sandy, sternly. Stan looked over at her.

"I can get Dexter home, I guess. Boss, can you carry Howdy?"  
"Of course I can!" He replied. "How heavy can one Ham be?" Boss bent down and tried to lift Howdy onto his shoulder, struggling under the weight of the ham. Eventually he had Howdy dangling over his shoulder by his legs, and Stan was carrying Dexter on his back. "Come on," Said Boss under the weight, "Let's get these idiots home." The pair walked off towards town, with a chorus of goodbyes from the group. Stan looked back over his shoulder, winking at Pashmina, who blushed. Sandy smiled at her as Stan disappeared into the hazy dusk.

"So you had a good time in the end, Pashmina." She giggled. Pashmina blushed.

"Yes, I did." She said. "Anyway, I need to get home. I'll have to tell Penelope all about the Ball tomorrow." She said. "Bye, guys!" She called as she ran off down the path.

"Yeah, it's a shame Cappy and Penelope couldn't come." Said Panda. "But I'm sure we can tell them all about it tomorrow. I'd better be getting home as well," he added, and headed off down the path. The three couples left looked at each other and laughed.

"It's certainly been an interesting few days." Commented Maxwell.

"That's a total understatement, Max." Replied Sandy. "And I think Howdy and Dexter are going to be rather disappointed in the morning."

"Is that because they missed out on their dance with Pashmina, or because it looks like someone else is after her as well, then?" Asked Hamtaro. Bijou giggled.

"What a terrible thing to say!" She exclaimed.

"True, though." Replied Pepper. "Stan and Pashmina falling for each other, it's obvious." Oxnard glanced up at the sky, noticing quite a few stars were now visible.

"Not to want to break up this nice chat," He said, "But the dance over at the high school finishes soon. It might spoil the day if Kana ends up bolting my cage door permanently shut to stop me escaping." Pepper laughed at him.

"Hehe, guess you're right. Lead on then, Oxi!" Oxnard blushed slightly and turned back to Hamtaro.

"You going to be long?" He asked. "Don't forget you and Laura are sleeping over tonight."

"I won't be long, I'm just going to walk Bijou home." He replied.

"We'd better get going too, Sandy." Agreed Maxwell. The group split up and headed off in the directions of their homes. Hamtaro and Bijou were left standing outside the finely decorated entrance as the light faded further. Hamtaro held out his paw, which Bijou took with a smile. The pair walked off away from the tree, as the last few couples filed out.

……

Hamtaro stood with Bijou underneath her window, unsure of what to say. The moon was now out and shining brightly, and Bijou's dress was illuminated by it's glow.

"I had a great time." He said eventually.

"Oui, Hamtaro. Me too." She looked at him. "Thank you for asking me." She paused and blushed slightly. "And for telling me your true feelings." She added.

"I would have burst if I didn't!" Smiled Hamtaro. "I've been wanting to tell you for ages, Bijou, but I guess I was too scared. But I do love you, Bijou."

"And I love you, Hamtaro." She replied, pulling him close. She leaned in, and kissed him gently on the lips. He froze for a few seconds.

"Wow." He managed eventually. Bijou giggled, her cheeks flushed red.

"I will see you tomorrow, Hamtaro!" She said, heading up the tree. Hamtaro watched her as she climbed up the tree. He waved at her as she peered down from the window.

"Bye, Bijou!" He called. She blew him a kiss, which caused him to blush again. He stood, watching up at her window for a good few minutes, not wanting to leave. A car zoomed down the road, bringing him to his senses.

"Laura could be back at Kana's any minute!" He cried, shaking himself out of his daze, and then dashing off. When he arrived a few minutes later, he leapt in through the window and lay on the floor panting. Oxnard came over.

"Didn't think you were going to make it there! They're due back any minute." He smiled. "What took you so long?" Hamtaro's cheeks again turned red.

"Just saying goodbye," He said, guiltily. Pepper laughed.

"Hamtaro and Bijou," she began to chant, "Sitting in a tree, K-I-…" Hamtaro butted in.

"Er, hey, that sounded like a car. Could be the others!" He smiled, embarrassed. The three dived back into their cages.

"So you kissed Bijou then, Hamtaro?" Asked Oxnard.

"Yeah." He replied, blushing again. "What about you and Pepper?" He asked. Oxnard stammered.

"Well…yeah." He managed. Pepper blushed slightly.

"Oxnard, it's not nice to kiss and tell!" She said, smiling. At that moment, a key turned in the lock, and in came Kana and her family, Laura in tow. Kana's mum looked at the girls.

"Close call." Thought Hamtaro.

"You two will probably want to go up to Kana's room." She said. "I'll bring up some tea in a minute."

"Thanks, mum." Replied Kana, as the girls picked up Hamtaro and Oxnard's cages. Dylan looked over at them.

"Hey, could you take Pepper too?" He asked. "It'll be easier if you feed her along with Hamtaro and Oxnard. Plus I'll know where she is then!" He laughed.

"Sure, Ok." Replied Kana, as the two girls went up to her room. Hamtaro looked up at Laura excitedly.

"She better tell me all about the dance." He thought, as they went in and closed Kana's door behind them.

……

Hamtaro sat in his cage, in the darkness.

"Do you think they're both asleep?" Whispered Oxnard.

"I think so." He whispered back. Oxnard looked relieved.

"At last! I thought they would never stop talking!" He sighed. Pepper giggled from her cage.

"Now come on, Oxnard, they had a great time. They wanted to tell you all about it." Oxnard looked back at her and yawned.

"Yeah, but they didn't need to tell me five times. I'm tired." Hamtaro laughed, and Oxnard yawned again. "Well, goodnight." He said.

"Just you hold on, mister!" Said Pepper. "Not without a goodnight kiss!" And she slipped out her cage and walked over to Oxnard's, and opened his door.

"I'll just go to bed, guys." Said Hamtaro, but they didn't seem to notice him. He left the pair saying goodnight and lay down in his bedding. Laura had certainly enjoyed herself at the dance, which Hamtaro was pleased about. As far as he knew, Travis hadn't kissed her, though.

"Still," he thought, "That might be a good thing. They could just take it slow." He yawned. "Wow, I'm as tired as Oxnard! Dancing is tiring…" And with that, he snuggled down into his bedding. He heard Pepper creep back to her own cage, and guessed the others were doing the same. Soon enough, Hamtaro was asleep again, running through a field of flowers, chasing Bijou through their long stems.

……

The End

……

And there we go! Finished. I'm usually far too critical of my work, but overall, I think it went quite well. There's a couple of chapters I'm not too happy with (Chapter 16 went through about 3 rewrites, and I'm still not 100 happy with it), but overall I think it's good. Depending on how well it's received, I do have some very basic ideas for a sequel which I've started to build up, so there's definitely potential for another one. I'd like to finish off my Rainbow Rescue sprite rip project first though, so who knows.


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